One of newest Nittany Lions is a survivor

Antoine White eventually found peace with his adoptive family, home

Penn State true freshman defensive tackle Antoine White reacts after a play during his time at Millville High in Millville, N.J. He graduated high school early, enrolled in Penn State last month and could be counted on early at defensive tackle. (Submitted)

Stacey White on adopted son Antoine: "He needed someone to trust and not give up on him." (Submitted)

Antoine White remembers only glimpses from the most traumatic times.

There was his birth mother who reportedly struggled with a drug problem ... and how he moved from one foster home to another ... and the letdowns and the lack of trust.

There even was the abuse, like the scar that apparently came from a belt buckle.

He remembers, more clearly, the first time he had a real home.

He was 5 years old.

Even that would not be easy for the kid who has now grown into a soft-spoken, articulate and all-business college freshman — as well as a promising defensive tackle for the Nittany Lions. Smith enrolled early at Penn State last month with four other players to get a jump-start on football and academics.

But back in elementary school, he would hide from adoptive parents Stacey and Corey White. He would even lash out in tantrums and try to hit them.

"He had a lot of trust issues. In the beginning he didn't trust us at all," said Stacey White, a preschool teacher. "He was trying to push us to see how much we would take.

"He didn't understand why he had to get a bath every day and why we had to wash his clothes. It took us a year to get through to him. Then we put him in football and that helped him get a lot of aggression out. We saw a turnaround."

Previously, another family had been preparing to adopt Antoine, only to have things fall apart in the last moments. So even after he did go home with the Whites, it still took him three or four years to feel comfortable enough to call them "Mom" and "Dad."

Later, Stacey and Corey White, a state prison guard, adopted another son. That seemed to help settle things, too.

"I had a connection with (Antoine). I didn't want to give up on him no matter how much he pushed at us," Stacey White said. "He needed somebody to trust and not give up on him."

Eventually, "he saw that we weren't going anywhere."

Antoine was born in Philadelphia and eventually lived in Camden before coming to Millville, N.J., with the Whites.

"Corey White (left) and his wife, Stacey, adopted Penn State defensive tackle Antoine White when he was 5." Submitted

He grew into a high school football star but also much more. He became an accomplished salad, sub and pizza maker at Millville's Taste of Italy Pizzeria to make money to pay for a car and insurance. His nonstop days went from morning weight lifting sessions to classes to football practice to his part-time job and, finally, homework.

He also became known as the protector of kids getting bullied in school, as well as a caring big brother.

Now, after graduating high school six months early, he's earned a free ride through college. He thinks back to put things in perspective.

"They took me in and it was a great thing for them to do," he said of his parents. "It changed my whole life. I was living in inner-city Philadelphia. I don't know what would have been."

But White also wants people to know this: "One of the biggest things I don't like is sympathy. I don't like people feeling it's a crutch that I came from this background or feel bad for me.

"It definitely does put a different spin or perspective on things. I use it to make me stronger."

This past fall, he continued to build himself into a key defensive tackle prospect. At 6-foot-3 and about 270 pounds, he will get every opportunity to impress in spring practice, especially since Penn State has a depth shortage inside after losing seniors DaQuan Jones and Central York's Kyle Baublitz.

If anything, it seems the Lions are getting a self-motivator in White. He immersed himself in yoga to improve his flexibility and focus. Even that restaurant job (his specialty is crafting the perfect buffalo chicken pizza) taught him responsibility and time management.

"He's got a purpose and a plan," said Jason Durham, his high school coach. "He shows how committed he is to his future."

"He's great with kids," Stacey White said. "When we adopted our second son, Antoine took him in and showed him the way. He's a leader. He knows what it can be like. He's a grateful person."

And, one day, when football is finished, he said he wants a job working with kids. He wants to help them, maybe even save them in a way, just as he was once.